When we were kids...

[Erick]

What a great topic! I thought i'd bring it back to see new entries!

Ahh the sweet memories... I had a special weakness for figures with face cammo, so Tunnel Rat, Bullhorn, Big Ben, etc. were my top choices back then, I remember one time for my birthday an uncle gave me Zartan v2 and I was like wtf? later that day my mom said.. 'hey what happened? you didn't like that figure or what?', I said no and she said 'didn't you tell me you liked figures with face cammo?'... hahaha, i just had to laugh.

I've always liked heavily armed figures too, i.e. Rock & Roll v2, Heavy Duty, Range Viper.

[Zombie F-Body]

Some characters appealed to me more from the animated show. I started collecting around 85 so I missed out on what I deemed some essential personelle from the animated series (i.e. Duke) so when the Tiger Force and other repaint teams came out I was really into those. Most of my collecting was post GI Joe: The Movie, so without animated reference I went for gear and animals as others have stated. I also liked leaders so I went for what I perceived was the leader types. I actually didn't know the DIC series existed till about a month ago, so I thought GI Joe: The Movie was it!

[quintonarledge]

I also liked leaders so I went for what I perceived was the leader types.

That's how I'd roll. I remember Flint and Xamot & Tomax were #1 on the "most wanted list" in '85, Hawk and Serpentor in '86, Falcon & Battle Armor Cobra Commander in '87, Tiger Force Duke & Iron Grenadier Destro in '88, etc.

Once I obtained the yearly leaders, my next focus was on getting any Joes with earth-tone/camo colors and the cooler looking Cobra Troop Builders like Vipers and BATS.

A figure's accessories didn't come into play much in my decision making on whether I wanted a figure or not because I had tons of Battle Gear weapons to re-fit the cool looking figures that came with lame accessories.

Guys like Lifeline, Scoop, Chuckles, Lightfoot, Voltar, Raptor, Dr. Mindbender, and Crystal Ball were always low on the priority list.

Around 1990 I was too old to really play with them and started buying every figure and vehicle as quickly as I could find them just to complete the yearly set regardless of what I thought about their appearance (Street Fighter and Lunatrix Empire excluded!) and I have done so ever since.

[ttfndude]

I first lived in germany on base so could only get the metal matchbox joe stuff. I got that for a while but I was into star wars as my mom and dad always brought me to the premiere except the first one as I was only a month old or something. Anyways I got a few guys here and there but I remember I got Lifeline for my b-day while we were living in Ft. Irwin CA and I was just like bam everything became about joes. I sold all my He-man stuff which was about everything, matchbox sold, and all my star wars. Then I went on a buying spree and soon got HAVOC and cross Country and started the buying of vehicles. I loved getting joes.

My mom didn't usually get me anything but if I was at the store with my dad (who always felt bad for not being around since his military job was very time consuming) and I was trying to choose between two or three he would buy them all and make me clean out his car, um OKAY . We always bought Flint if he was in the group first as he was originally bought for me from my dad who was a Chief Warrant Officer II like Flint (So I am dying to get the new one but probably won't find it). After that it was by the card art on the back , I always checked them off on the back too. The only time I bought by the weapons was Bullhorn that sniper case rocked. I really slowed buying when things went neon.

Afterthought about the USS Flagg, saw it once standing up on end in almost the middle of an end aisle and asked my mom for it and she said we couldn't afford it right now but next time. Never saw it again so now I am buying it piece by piece off of ebay, very depressing.


ttfndude

[Erick]

Afterthought about the USS Flagg, saw it once standing up on end in almost the middle of an end aisle and asked my mom for it and she said we couldn't afford it right now but next time. Never saw it again so now I am buying it piece by piece off of ebay, very depressing.

The same thing happened to me but with the General! I begged for it for months but my parents just thought that it was too much money to spend on a toy (maybe they were right back then ) anyway, such sad chapters in one's life tend to leave scars.... as you said, it's very depressing

[Syna3sthesia]

Man...I got into joes a lil late in the game probably around late 87. Before that it was all about MOTU and never actually saw a Joe prior to that. I watched the cartoon religiously but did not think that there was that big of a joe universe (At the time I was living in another country).

I entered a small contest in which I got to pick a joe from a drawer where there was cases of them. It came down between Storm Shadow and the SWAT Guy (forgot his name). My aunt tried to convince me into choosing the one with the most accesories but I made up my mind by then no matter what I was to have the Storm Shadow V2.

After that I was hooked. It was all about the Joes and everytime I got lucky I would purchase one for Bday or xmas. My army never grew past 20 all together with 2 vehicles the Stiletto and the Swamp Smasher.

To think back is heartbreaking and I really wish I had gotten into them a lil earlier than that. I know my economic situation at that particular time would not allowed me to even ask for a FLAGG or Defiant. So when I got the Defiant almost minty I almost shed a tear....20 yrs later and I finally have it. It was the best XMas present I have given myself.

[Erick]

I entered a small contest in which I got to pick a joe from a drawer where there was cases of them. It came down between Storm Shadow and the SWAT Guy (forgot his name). My aunt tried to convince me into choosing the one with the most accesories but I made up my mind by then no matter what I was to have the Storm Shadow V2.

How cool Man was that in a TV show or something alike? btw that SWAT guy is Shockwave!

[Syna3sthesia]

How cool Man was that in a TV show or something alike? btw that SWAT guy is Shockwave!

I wish, it was more low key...like collecting upc off cereal and trade them off for Joes. I got two more of that Blizzard and some other one.

Thanks for the name I was about to say Soundwave

[Pit Viper]

Most of us went for the more military realistic figures. Guys like Falcon, Tunnel Rat, Muskrat, Hit n' Run. They were very popular. Night-Viper and Shockwave were also very popular. Strangly everyone also seemed to like Voltar despite his pink uniform (I think it was because he was a general).

Everyone seemed to hate Cobra-La, Serpentor, the female characters, Battle Force 2000 and guys like Raptor. One kid even hated Destro though that didn't stop him from owning both versions at that time.

[kerowack]

I've lurked since June, but registered to participate in this thread...

I was born in 77 and thanks to Star Wars, He-man and M.A.S.K., I didn't really get into G.I.Joe Until Dialtone's series came out. Sadly, I think that is where the Joes started to show signs of slipping (character designwise) and was ALWAYS ****ed that the old figures were so hard to find (Duke, half-nude Gung Ho, Storm Shadow...). Anyway, I got the ENTIRE Dialtone/Mainframe line one Christmas and remember the following Christmas getting the Falcon/Law and Order line...I was also pumped to get Gung Ho (even if I hated that he was dressed in a Marine suit and not his "getting dirty" clothes).

Anyway, I saw a TINY add for the 25th anniversary figures a few months back (I was debating collecting old M.A.S.K. toys...did get a few) and knew I had to have them.

The highpoint of Joe collecting as a child was when a friend of the family (who was spoiled) decided to get rid of his Joes and gave them all to me and my brother. He had EVERY SINGLE FIGURE RELEASED and delivered them poured into the top of the Technodrome (complete with pilot and plane).

I cringe when I think that we tossed that Technodrome in the dumpster at the end of high school because my brother and I didn't want it anymore....)

Don't shoot!